In an attempt to familiarise students with career options away from conventional streams, The Hindu EDGE Career Counselling 2017 held here on Friday showcased audio engineering as a sound option through a conversation between Mala Mary Martina, CEO, I Love Mondays, and Jerry Silvester Vincent, music programmer.
A Physics graduate, Mr. Jerry, who is associated with A. R. Rahman after completing a postgraduate diploma course in audio engineering at K. M. College of Music and Technology, revealed how he was able to pursue his passion for music after fulfilling an obligation of getting a degree as per the wishes of his parents. He said that audio engineering, which dealt with how one perceived and presented sound, was an emerging field in the country. A degree course in audio engineering was available in Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India and MGR Government Film and Television Training Institute, Chennai, and many private institutions offered a diploma programme. A pass in Plus Two with mathematics or science subjects was required for admission to the degree course. It was also possible to learn from videos downloaded at home.
When asked by Ms. Mala of the requirements for becoming a successful audio engineer, Mr. Jerry replied that success was built on passion and good soft skills were required to work in a team of technicians. Apart from the film industry, radio stations and television channels had good scope for employing sound engineers. He was of the view that a candidate from science stream would be able to understand and appreciate audio engineering better. He pointed out that there was an increasing awareness of music among people and it had been proved that the brain developed faster when one listened to classical music. This was called the Mozart Effect. According to Mr. Jerry, it is possible for an audio engineer with reasonable skills to earn between ₹10, 000 and ₹20, 000 a day.
Explaining employability skills, B. Prabu Christopher, Senior Assistant Professor of VIT University, said that these skills were required not only to get a job but to retain one. He listed critical thinking, creative thinking, communication and inter-personal skills, cultural competence and multitasking as the requirements to grow up in a career. While quoting a NASSCOM report that only 30 to 40 per cent of engineering graduates were employable in the country, Dr. Prabu advised the parents not to pressurise their children to pursue a course. They should also not compare their wards with others but motivate them in a playful manner.
